Adoptable animals in the Valley

Buttercup is available for adoption with Friends for LIfe at 952 W. Melody Avenue in Gilbert. For more information, call 480-497-8296, email FFLdogs@azfriends.org, or visit azfriends.org.
Friends for Life Animal Rescue

Adoptable animals in the Valley

Moe is available for adoption Nov. 4, 2018, at noon at Arizona Humane Society's Campus for Compassion at 1521 W. Dobbins Road in Phoenix. For more information, call 602-997-7585 and ask for animal number 589104.
Arizona Humane Society

Adoptable animals in the Valley

Manny is available for adoption at the Arizona Humane Society's Sunnyslope Campus at 9226 N. 13th Ave. in Phoenix. For more information, visit azhumane.org/adopt.
Arizona Humane Society

Adoptable animals in the Valley

Karina is available for adoption with Sun Cities 4 Paws at 10807 N. 9th Ave. in Peoria. For more information, call 623-773-2246 after 10 a.m.
Sun Cities 4 Paws

Adoptable animals in the Valley

Panda is available for adoption with Friends for Life at 952 W. Melody Ave. For more information,call 480-497-8296, email FFLcats@azfriends.org or visit azfriends.org.
Friends for Life Animal Rescue

Adoptable animals in the Valley

Otis will be available for adoption October 28, 2018, at the Arizona Humane Society’s Campus for Compassion in Phoenix. For more information, call 602-997-7585 and ask for animal number 588077.
Arizona Humane Society

Adoptable animals in the Valley

Sylvester is available for adoption at Arizona Humane Society’s Sunnyslope Campus in Phoenix. Visit azhumane.org/adopt to see if he is the right fit for your family.
Arizona Humane Society

Adoptable animals in the Valley

If interested in meeting Wile E, call480-497-8296, email FFLdogs@azfriends.org, or visit azfriends.orgfor more information.
Friends for Life Animal Rescue

Adoptable animals in the Valley

Ariana is available for adoption at 11129 Michigan Ave in Youngtown. For more information, call 623-773-2246 after 10 a.m.
Sun Cities 4 Paws

Adoptable animals in the Valley

Julep is available for adoption with Arizona Humane Society. For more information, call 602-997-7585 and ask for animal No. 589104.
Arizona Humane Society

About 80 to 100 lost pets and stray animals arrive at the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control shelter each day.

This week, the shelter partnered with a facial recognition service called Finding Rover in hopes of speeding up the process of reuniting pets with their families.

"We are at an overcrowded situation right now," Jose Miguel Santiago, public information officer for Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, told The Arizona Republic.

Santiago said the shelter hopes the service will lower intake numbers.

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Has your pet gone missing? These are eight simple steps you should take.
Wochit

How the service works

John Polimeno launched the service in 2013 after seeing a poster for a lost dog at a coffee shop. The poster reminded him of when his family lost their black lab.

"It was the worst three days of my life," the CEO told The Republic.

When using Finding Rover, pet owners can submit a photo for a lost, found or adoptable pet. Over half a million pets are registered with the service.

Users choose the pet's current or previous location and can search through photos from a variety of partners, including the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control,which will have uploaded photos of the pets that arrive at their facilities.

The free service will also report missing animals to nearby partners. The company has more than 400 shelter partners in the U.S., Australia and Canada and is partnered with the Petco Foundation.

"Every hour we get a feed of every animal brought into a shelter," Polimeno said. Finding Rover immediately searches within 200 miles for the missing pet once it is registered.

A dog was reunited in Los Angeles after it escaped from its home. The owners were 90 miles away at UC Medical Center. Polimeno said once the couple registered the dog with Finding Rover, the pet was found by a shelter within two hours.

According to Polimeno, the service has a 98 percent accuracy rate with dogs and a 99 percent accuracy rate with cats when the photo is of the animal looking at the camera.

Santiago suggests owners register their pet with the service before it is lost to make the process easier.

The app is available on desktop and through mobile apps.

"This just gives us all the opportunity to be heroes with our mobile phones," Polimeno said.

When using Finding Rover, pet owners can submit a photo for a lost, found or adoptable pet.(Photo: Finding Rover)

What to do when a pet is lost

Santiago said there are many things owners can do to find their lost pet.

"If you are a responsible pet owner, you should do everything and anything to find your pet," he told The Republic.

Owners should microchip their pets, he said. When an animal arrives, shelters immediately check for a microchip.

"A microchip is a sure way of getting them back to you," he said.

Santiago said owners should immediately come to the shelter and report their missing pet. This allows the shelter to keep a lookout.

After alerting the shelter, proceed with Finding Rover, Santiago said.

Also, remember to post on social media. The Finding Rover service will create a digital poster for owners to share.

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Republic reporter Rebekah L. Sanders is here with #HereToHelpAZ to help you with any consumer-protection issues you may have. Isabel Greenblatt/azcentral.com